Married at the Mount

The Jun. 7 Wedding of John and Corri Nicoletti. (Photo courtesy of Frank Tetler)

by Frank Tetler

Mount Saint Mary College (MSMC) alumni and staff members Corri Nicoletti and John Nicoletti didn’t just meet on the MSMC campus, but Last summer, they married here in the Guzman Chapel.

On Jun. 7, 2013, as rain fell from the sky, the Nicoletti’s were wed in their second choice of locations. Had they had their first choice, it still would have been at MSMC.

“I really wanted to get married in the Dominican Center, but it was closed for construction,” said Corri.

It all started in 2008 when Corri started working part time at MSMC’s Information Technology (IT) department. John had been working in IT since his internship in 2006.

Corri said a mutual friend gave her number to John “without asking me,” but John remembered it differently.

“One of my friends was texting her one day,” John said, “and I grabbed her number from him.” He first started texting her to poke fun at a text-based game she was playing. “Well, after that, the rest was history,” John said.

Corri and John agreed the choice to marry at MSMC was due to the memories they built there.

“We met here; we worked here,” said Corri. “The place and people are amazing.”

Both also said that if they went to different schools, they probably never would have met.

“So, it was a nice way to make our love story come full circle,” John said. “At least up until this point.”

Knowing “nearly everyone on campus” had both positive and negative aspects. “It all came together so well and almost a little too easy,” John said of the helpfulness of the priests, catering department, and the music professor who played their ceremony music. But he also said that it was difficult not to tell the entire MSMC staff that they were all invited.

Would they have done anything differently?

Both bride and groom said no, other than little things that John described as “bloopers,” and Corri called “unavoidable.” She arrived late due to a dress issue, rain limited the outdoor pictures they could take, and John said some may have gotten upset that the priest swapped their lines.

“But to us, it was hilarious,” he said. “…for us, that’s what made it ours.”

What makes MSMC a great place for a wedding? “Everything,” said Corri, “the view, the people, the location, and the memories we created are all great.”

John gave the same reasons and added the staff didn’t treat it like just another event. Honestly,” he said, “you [would have] thought the king and queen had arrived on campus.”

The couple said they had to meet certain requirements to marry at MSMC. At least one of the couple had to be Catholic, they had to attend Pre-Cana classes, and they had to purchase a $1 million insurance policy for the 24 hour period spanning the rehearsal and ceremony.

“I don’t think I bought a million dollars worth of anything in my life,” said John.

The wedding was officiated by the Rev. Francis Amodio, and a surprise appearance was made by college president Rev. Kevin Mackin who assisted Amodio.

They were honored Mackin took part and said they were “thrilled with Father Francis.” John said Amodio did a great job making the ceremony.

“He was hilarious,” he added, “… not only marrying us, but also entertaining everyone at the same time.”